Toy Story (1995) & Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Two groundbreaking animated classics that stand the test of time.

Toy Story (1995; Disney+ or your library)

Woody, a cowboy doll, assures his fellow toys that none of them is getting replaced—until their owner receives a cool space ranger toy. Toy Story feels new each time I watch it. It establishes a lot of quirky characters (voiced by a lot of famous actors), and the story takes us on a deeper journey than we expect. It’s a comedic, family movie about jealousy and loneliness…? And about loyalty and self-sacrificial friendship! It’s not so much about a bad guy as it is about navigating change inside us when “strange things” start happening. That said, it leads to an incredible multi-stage escape and chase sequence worthy of any action film. Funny, bittersweet, triumphant—entertainment for the whole person.

For sensitive viewers: There are a couple of truly crass jokes in the first twenty minutes. The bad neighbor boy looks kind of creepy due to the early, chunky computer animation, and the toys in his house inspire fear in our protagonists at first. Watch this before showing it to your kids.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937; Disney+ or your library)

The classic fairy tale of a beautiful girl persecuted by a wicked, jealous queen, befriended by dwarves (dwarfs?), and saved by true love’s kiss. This was the first animated Disney movie. I am repeatedly astounded by how well the movie combines cartoony humor (the dwarves and woodland animals) and life-like animation. The trees move like trees. The fog looks like fog. The shadows are even a little too perfect! Just how many different animals are bounding across the screen at once? These animators knew no bounds.

The story is a delight. The songs and voices are top notch. The humorous segment of the dwarves fearfully making their way into the house feels like a 30s comedy sketch, like Laurel and Hardy. The dancing scene is unparalleled on many levels. It’s just plain fun. It shows the characters having worked out their differences and just making music and dance together. That moment the organ pipes stick and Grumpy has to close them with his hand is a relatable music joke for a pianist like me. In lesser movies, I wonder what the characters do once they finally defeat the bad guys—now what? This dancing scene shows us the good we are fighting for, beyond the mundane tasks of life—which, too, can inspire whistling, when love is present. Simple, entertaining, classic, hopeful.

For sensitive viewers: “Bring back her heart—in this.” It is a fairy tale, after all, but not quite Grimm.

Nathan’s Writing Update

This is a month of Toy Story as we approach the release of Toy Story 5! I’m also building up to my own movie to show you: a YouTube video essay I’m making about the four Toy Story movies. Can’t wait to share it with you! But I will wait. And work. And whistle? I can’t whistle, so I guess I’ll hum while I work? (Then again, no one will hear me, so I can half-whistle, hahaha.)

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